BX921 
55 S 




ISS" 



FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 



SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 



NEWARK, N. J. 



A DISCOURSE PREACHED SEPTEMBER 29, 1861, 



BY TJEfE PASTOR, 

j. few Smith, d. d 



NEWARK, N. J. : 

A. S. HOLBROOK, PRINTER, No. 3 MECHANIC-ST. 
1861. 




This Discourse occupied in its delivery the houra of both 
the morning and the afternoon service. In preparing it for 
publication, considerable additional matter has been inserted, 
and a number of notes have been appended ; which, it is be- 
lieved, will enhance its interest and its permanent value. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



For the children ought not to lay up for the parents s but the 
parents for the children. — 2 Corinthians xii : 1*1. 

The father to the children shall make known thy truth. — 
Isaiah xxxviii : 19. 

These verses distinctly announce the principle, 
that each generation of our race should seek to 
provide for those who are to succeed it. One 
generation is the parent of another : and the pa- 
rental relation was established not only for the 
perpetuation of the race, but also for its instruction, 
and for handing down from age to age the moral 
and religious truth which is to be the source of 
highest good to mankind. 

The parent is entrusted with the care of the 
child ; bound to make provision for its wants, 
physical, intellectual, moral. This is his duty ; 
demanded of him by his Creator and Sovereign. 
To this he is called by that affection which belongs 



4 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



to the relation he sustains, and which prompts him 
to find his highest happiness in the well being of 
his offspring. 

Thus Paul, sustaining towards these Corinthian 
converts the relation of a spiritual father, (1 Cor. 
iv : 15,) declares his warm affection for them, and 
his desire for their good. "I will very gladly 
spend and be spent for you," he says ; " for I seek 
not yours but you." " I have no gain to make of 
you ; but with fatherly affection I seek your high- 
est permanent well-being ; aiming to carry out the 
principle which nature and revelation alike sanc- 
tion, that the parents should lay up for the child- 
ren." The children must honor the memory of 
their parents, and when the infirmities of age come 
upon them should relieve and support them. But 
it is for the parents first to care for the children, 
and to secure to them such permanent good, as 
shall enable them to meet their obligations to their 
parents, and in turn to provide for their successors. 

Thus each generation must endeavor so to live as 
to leave positive and permanent blessings for those 
who are to come after it. While each is to "act 
in the living present," each should so act that the 
present may be fraught with highest good to the 
future. Every age is both a harvest time and a 
seed time. Those tropical plants which show us 
on the same branches the flowering blossom and 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



5 



the ripening fruit, are emblematic of our life. No 
generation lives simply in the present and for the 
present. While deriving life from the past, and 
working earnestly in the present, it is laying 
foundations of future- strength and grandeur ; it is 
sowing seeds whose full grown harvests after years 
shall reap. Whether we purpose it or not, think 
of it or not, this is inevitably so. For in this 
world we are not simply individuals, but members 
of the human family, each bound to each by 
numberless seen and unseen ties of relation and 
influence. And so, while "one generation passeth 
away and another generation cometh," (Eccl. i : 4,) 
the life of the human race continues unbroken, 
and history becomes a possible thing. Human 
History is the Biography of the human race, and 
is a record of the faithfulness with which the 
parents lay up for the children, and the fathers to 
the children make known the truth. And as all 
the interest of human history centres at last in the 
church of the living God, or rather in Him who is 
the head and heart and life of the church, it be- 
comes a matter of the deepest interest that each 
generation should hand over to another the bless- 
ings of the true religion, and perpetuate with 
unimpaired purity and vigor, and with ever grow- 
ing dominion, the knowledge of the true Grod and 
of Jesus Christ whom He has sent. " The father 



6 



HISTORICAL DISCOUESK 



to the children shall make known thy truth." 
" One generation shall praise thy works to another, 
and shall declare thy mighty acts." (Ps. cxlv : 4.) 
Each generation is bound to care for the religious 
interests of another, and to carry forward the work 
handed to it by its predecessor. Thus is the name 
of the Lord to be honored from age to age. Thus 
instead of the fathers in constant succession shall 
the children rise up to bless His name ; until at 
length there shall be a generation who shall all 
know and fear Him, the population of the whole 
earth being evangelized, and fathers who love Him 
bequeathing the rich legacy of faith and love to 
children who themselves are filled with faith, the 
parents of still other seed to serve Him. 

And a review of the way in which those who 
have gone before us have discharged their obliga- 
tions to posterity will be an appropriate tribute to 
their memory, will furnish occasion for gratitude 
to God, and may incite us to diligence and fidelity 
in laying up for those who are to come after us, 
and in making known the truth to succeeding 
times. 

Fifty years have passed since the edifice in 
which we are to day worshipping was first occupied 
by a congregation of worshippers, and dedicated 
to the service of God, Father, Son, and Holy 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



7 



Spirit. Fifty years ! Many who were then in 
the bloom of youth, or of early manhood, still 
live in the mellowing season of old age ; but in 
that time more than a generation have gone, to 
join the generations that preceded them, and sank 
like the leaves of the forest into the earth. The 
old men, the aged women, who were the fathers 
and mothers then, have dropped one by one along 
the way, hiding their worn bodies beneath the 
green mounds of our churchyards and our ceme- 
teries, finding a nobler rest for their souls; and 
the young men became the fathers, and many of 
them too sleep ; and the boys and girls, who then 
accompanied their parents with decent solemnity 
to the house of God, are in their turn fathers and 
mothers, here and elsewhere, telling their children 
of the truth of Grod. Fifty years ! What changes 
this community has witnessed in that time ! At 
the beginning of that period, the population of 
Newark, then a thriving country town, was about 
six thousand; now it exceeds seventy -two thou- 
sand. The open spaces on its main thoroughfares 
have been filled up with stores and dwellings ; and 
large factories and blocks of buildings occupy its 
fields. Then there was one Presbyterian church, 
one Episcopal, one Baptist, one Methodist. JSTow 
there are twelve Presbyterian churches, besides 
three or four Mission chapels ; seventeen Methodist 



8 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



churches and chapels ; seven Protestant Episcopal, 
seven Baptist, and three Reformed Dutch churches, 
besides numerous others belonging to the Luther- 
ans, the Congregationalists, and the United Pres- 
byterians; and to Roman Catholics, Jews, and 
Universalists : making in all nearly seventy places 
of worship. Many of these are large, and costly, 
and beautiful edifices, highly ornamental to the 
city. Of the increase of the business, the wealth, 
and the size of the city ; of the change of charac- 
ter consequent on its becoming so largely a 
manufacturing town ; of the enterprise, skill, and 
energy of its population; of the advance in the 
style of building, in the adoption of numerous 
improvements for our streets, and houses, contrib- 
uting alike to comfort and to health ; and of our 
noble system of Free Schools, I cannot stop to 
speak. Newark, the city of churches and of 
factories, with her broad paved avenues, and her 
crowding population comprising people of almost 
all tongues ; with her virtues and her vices, her 
thrift and her poverty, is not the Newark of fifty 
years ago. The old trees, and the old parks, and 
some of the old houses, and a few of the old 
families remain ; but in most respects how changed 
the place ! Changed, as some, who remember it 
of old, and look only at the evils which are 
incidental to the rapid growth of a business 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



9 



community, say with a sigh, not for the better; 
yet evidently advanced in all the sources of 
material prosperity, in the facilities for intellectual 
and moral culture, and in true and desirable 
growth. 

And these fifty years, what changes and pro- 
gress have they witnessed in the worlds history f 
what discoveries in science ! what inventions ! 
what improvements ! what increase and diffusion 
of knowledge ! what growth of the Church ! what 
revivals of religion! what wonderful efforts and 
success in the cause of the world's evangelization ! 
In this period our Foreign and Home Missionary 
Associations, our Bible and Tract Societies, have 
begun, and risen to their highest prosperity ; most 
of our Theological Seminaries have been estab- 
lished, and our Education Societies have largely 
contributed to the supply of the ministry; and 
the Sunday School cause has grown to be a widely 
extended institution for the religious training of 
the young and the spread of the Church. It has 
been a period fraught with great interest to the 
Church at large, and especially to that branch of it 
with which this congregation has been connected.* 

* The population of the United States in 1810 was 7,239,814 j 
in 1860, it was 31,429,891. The population of New Jersey in 
1810 was 245,555 ; in 1860, it was 672,031. 

In 1800 the proportion of church members to the whole pop- 



10 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



On all these things it would be profitable as 
well as interesting to dwell. Nor, did time permit, 
would such a review of the past fifty years be 
unsuitable to the history of this church. For 
with them all it has been associated. The relations 
of the Church and the State are far more intimate 
than may at first sight seem to be the case. And 
no one can fully write the history of a church in 
a community, without regarding this fact. Nor 
can the history of such a community as this be 
written without due regard to the religious element 
which has been so prominent and potent here 

ulation of the United States, leaving out those under ten years 
of age, was 1 to 18 ; now it is about 1 to 5. 

At the beginning of this century there were about 200 Pres- 
byterian ministers; in 1859, there were in connection with the 
different branches of the distinctively Presbyterian Church in 
this country, including the Preformed Dutch, 6,254 ministers, 
7,751 churches, and 635,044 communicants. Our own branch 
of the Church, whose separate existence began in 1838, now 
(1861) contains 22 Synods, embracing 105 Presbyteries, 1,558 
ministers, 138 licentiates, and about 135,000 communicants. 

Andover Theological Seminary was founded in 1808 ; Prince- 
ton, in 1812; Auburn, in 1821: Union, New York, in 1836. 
There are now upwards of 40 Theological Seminaries in the 
United States. 

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 
began its existence in 1810 ; the American Bible Society, in 
1817 ; the American Home Missionary Society, in 1S26 ; the 
American Tract Society, in 1825 ; the American Sunday School 
Union, in 1823. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



11 



But I may not dwell on these tilings any farther, 
except to mention this additional fact as a matter 
of interest : This church commenced its existence 
at a period when the mutterings of war were 
making themselves heard in the land; the war 
with Great Britain being formally declared in less 
than one year after the time when this building 
was dedicated : and now its first fifty years close 
amid the sad tumult of a more lamentable strife ; 
the call to arms coming from a tried government 
imperilled by a portion of its own constituents ; 
not a nation rising against a foreign foe, but a 
nation rallying to defend its institutions and its 
life against a foe springing out of its own bosom. 
But as in the beginning this church went on 
growing and prosperous even while the foreign 
war lasted, and as that soon came to a close, and 
was succeeded by a fruitful peace, -so let us trust 
that now amid these distractions God will preserve 
us, and that soon the fierce storm will pass, and 
a blessed peace ensue, to continue unbroken and 
fruitful through coming years. 

The town of Newark was originally settled by 
men who duly valued the institutions of religion, 
and recognized the obligations that rested on them 
to provide for the religious instruction of the 
generations that were to succeed them. They 
were in fact a company of church members, 



12 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



bringing with them from their home in New 
England all the institutions of the Grospel, and a 
deep veneration for them, and an earnest practical 
religions spirit. Their first care was to establish 
here the Church of Christ; and in the original 
"fundamental agreement " adopted by them Octo- 
ber 30, 1666, they declared their purpose "with 
care and diligence to provide for the maintenance 
and purity of religion."* This spirit moulded all 
their arrangements, municipal and social, as well 
as ecclesiastical ; and it gave a character for solidity, 
love of order, maintenance of law, and strictness 
of integrity, and reverence for the Sabbath and 
the Bible, the results of which may be traced in 

* Newark was " settled " by a colony from what is now the 
State of Connecticut, in the years 1666 and 1667. The design 
of the leaders in the enterprise seems clearly to have been that 
of the original colonists who landed on Plymouth Rock, "the 
founding of a pure church and a godly government." The 
" fundamental agreement " above alluded to was adopted before 
they left the town of Branford, from which most of them came. 
They came, it may be said, as a church, bringing with them 
their pastor and church organization, and just continuing cn 
the soil of New Jersey the life which had begun in the New 
England province. " The name of the town appears to have 
been at first Milford, but was soon changed to Newark, in 
honor, as is supposed, of its first minister, the Rev. Abraham 
Pierson, who preached for a time in Newark in England before 
he came to this country." See the admirable and valuable 
History of the First Church, Newark, by the Rev. Dr. Stearns, 
pp. 1-25. ■ 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



13 



their descendants, and the influence of which we 
now feel. 

Among their earliest provisions was one for the 
erecting of a church and the support of the 
ministry; and ere long certain lands were set 
apart to afford a perpetual fund for this purpose, 
the benefit of which several generations have 
enjoyed, and to which we as a congregation are 
largely indebted. The original congregation thus 
coming in and taking possession of the place in 
1667 was to be the precursor of a long train of 
churches, the fruitful and honored mother of a 
numerous progeny. The first house of worship 
was built between 1668 and 1676, and stood on 
the west side of Broad street, nearly opposite the 
present First Presbyterian Church. It was "a 
low and somewhat singular looking wooden edifice, 
without chimney or cupola, spreading out to the 
breadth of thirty-six feet square upon the ground, 
and at most sixteen feet high in front beneath the 
eaves, and somewhat less in the rear."* Some 
forty or more years later that gave place to a 
larger and more substantial edifice ; which was in 
turn superseded, in 1791, by the present large, 
and commodious, and sightly, and venerable edi- 
fice of the First Church. 

I cannot stop to speak of the origin of the 

* Dr. Stearns's History, p. 71. 



14 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



churches of Orange and Bloomfield, both out- 
growths of the church of Newark, which were 
organized respectively in 1718 and 1798.* No 
steps were taken towards the organization of an 
additional' church within the limits of the Town 
of Newark until the year 1809. Up to that 
period the existing edifice and organization seemed 
to be sufficient for the wants of the people. " But 
the time had come when the need of greater 
facilities, for the accommodation of a large and 
growing population, was manifest to all." The 
spirit and principle of Church Extension belonged 
inherently to the first settlers of the town, and 
entered into the very purpose of their settlement, 
and into the organization of the First Church. 
These had already manifested themselves in the 
creation of the churches of Orange and Bloomfield. 
They were now to be evinced in noble deeds, 
nearer home. As children going forth from the 
parental roof to establish new homes for them- 
selves, go with a parent's blessing and a parent's 
gifts, so was the First Church to send forth again 

* Orange and Newark were both, originally embraced within 
the Township of Newark. The First Church in Orange was 
known for sixty years as the " Mountain Society," and after- 
wards, until 1811, it was called the " Second Presbyterian 
Church of Newark." So when the church in Bloomfield was 
organized it was called the " Third Presbyterian Church of the 
Township of Newark." 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



15 



its children, with, blessings and gifts, to create a 
new home and extend the influence of the 
Eedeemer's cause. As brothers seeking separate 
homes divide among themselves the common 
patrimony, so these children of the same family 
shared the inheritance which had come down to 
them from the fathers. When the demand for 
increased church accommodation arose it was 
promptly met. The subject had already enlisted 
attention, and awakened interest ; and at a meeting 
of the congregation of the First Church held April 
8, 1809, "it was Eesolved, That it is advisable for 
this Society to build another meeting house," and 
a committee* was appointed "to consider the 
subject, and to prepare some plan for the congre- 
gation to bring about this great object," At a 
subsequent meeting, on the 18th of the same 
month, that committee reported; and it wis 
resolved " that from this congregation a separate 
and distinct congregation should be set off, and 
measures taken to invest it with all the powers 
and privileges of a body politic." And then for 
the encouragement of the purpose, and for securing 
to the new enterprise the highest prosperity, the 

* That committee consisted of the following nine persons : 
Lewis Thibou, William S. Pennington, Nathaniel Camp, Robert 
B. Campfield, Isaac Andruss, David I). Crane, John N. dim- 
ming, Hugh McDougal, and Joseph T. Baldwin. 



16 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



following resolution was adopted, namely : " That 
when the new congregation shall become incorpo- 
rated and legally qualified to hold property, and 
shall have built a meeting house not less than 
fifty feet by seventy, on its base, in a good and 
substantial manner; and shall have called and 
settled a minister, this congregation shall convey 
to them two-sevenths of all their real estate, in as 
full and absolute a manner as those learned in the 
law shall advise, to be held by the congregation 
for the support of the Gospel forever, excepting 
the present meeting house and the lot of land 
attached to it." It appears to have been a question 
that elicited discussion whether the new edifice 
should be erected in the southern, or in the 
northern part of the town, and it was decided 
to make the attempt in the south end ; with the 
understanding that the people there should proceed 
at once to build, and should have the walls raised 
"as high as the water table" within six months 
from the date of the resolution. If this condition 
were not complied with, the people in the north 
part of the town were to be at liberty to proceed, 
and should receive the benefit of the appropria- 
tion: provided "they should have the foundation 
of a church laid, and the walls raised as high as 
the water table in nine months, to commence at 
the expiration of the six months" first designated 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



17 



Accordingly the foundation of a new edifice 
in the south part of the town was begun and 
completed; the comer stone being laid by the 
Eev. James Eichards, Pastor of the First Church,* 
October 9, 1809. But the building advanced no 
farther. 

The people in the northern part of the city now 
availed themselves of the opportunity afforded 
them. The opening paragraph in our first book 
of Eecords is as follows: "During the Spring of 
the year 1810, a number of individuals, residents 
in the upper part of the Town of Newark and 
members of the First Presbyterian congregation 
in that place, being impressed with the importance 

* Dr. Richards was born at New Canaan, Conn., Oct. 29, 
1767; entered Yale College in 17S9 3 but for want of pecuniary 
means was compelled to leave without graduating; was licensed 
by an association in Fairfield County, Conn., in 1793 ; was 
ordained Pastor of the church in Morristown, May 1, 1795 ; 
succeeded Dr. Griffin as Pastor of the First Church, Newark, 
June 7, 1809 ; received the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 
1815, frcm Yale and Union Colleges, simultaneously ; in 1823, 
■was called to the Professorship of Theology in the new Seminary 
at Auburn, N. Y. ; and continued in tbat important position 
until the day of his death, August 2, 1S43. He was eminent 
for sagacity, for a deep solid piety, for unwearying diligence. 
His life was full of usefulness. As a Pastor, a counsellor, an 
instructor, a member of the judicatories of the Church, his 
position was one of great prominence. His influence was wide, 
and great, and lasting. Pew names as so much honored in the 
Church. 



18 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



of having a Second Presbyterian Church erected, 
drew np a subscription, and having met with 
sufficient encouragement, purchased a convenient 
lot of ground, and on the 17th of June* following 
began the building." The "convenient lot of 
ground" is this on which we are now worshipping ; 
admirably situated both in point of agreeableness 
and beauty, being in front of the open Park with 
its noble elms, and in respect to its adaptation to 
the wants of the growing population of the part of 
the city in which it was placed, f On the day 
mentioned — June 18, 1810— the corner stone of 
the building was laid with appropriate religious 
services by the Rev. Samuel Whelpley. I copy 
in full the following account of the proceedings on 
that occasion, from The Sentinel of Freedom — the 

* This is a mistake. It should be the 18th of June, which 
was Monday. The Sabbath would hardly have been selected 
for such a service, and the account in the newspaper of the 
time places the laying of the corner stone on Monday, the 18th. 

t, The North, or Washington, Park, on which the church 
fronts, was not then enclosed. It was known as "the Com- 
mon," and the southern part of it being often covered with 
water, in the winter season afforded a fine skating pond for the 
boys and young men. The large elm trees, though of much 
smaller size, then surrounded it, as they do now ; but the other 
trees, and the graveled walks, and the green turf, are of much 
later date. The congregation purchased property, extending 
from Washington to Plane streets; and James street, at the 
corner of which the church stands, was opened about that time. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



19 



Newark newspaper of that da)' — of June 26, 
1810 : "On Monday Morning, the 18th inst, was 
laid the corner stone of the North Presbyterian 
Church,* in Newark. The exercises were per- 
formed by the Be v. Samuel Whelpley. with a 
solemnity, simplicity, and fervor of devotion, 
peculiarly appropriate to the interesting occasion, 
and illustrative of that 'power of godliness,' 
which we trust he has experienced, and the God 
of grace (has) given him for extensive usefulness 
in his church. The ceremony commenced with 
prayer, after which the corner stone was laid, and 
a solemn and affecting address made to the friends 
and patrons of the church, and to the numerous 
audience that had assembled. A well adapted 
hymn was then sung, and the exercises concluded 
with prayer. The whole seiwice was performed 
with a truly Christian spirit No illiberal party 
zeal, no bigoted opposition to other denominations 
was manifested, but a Christian meekness and 
gentleness must have been conspicuous to every 
spectator, and must have delighted the hearts of 
all who have 'the spirit of Christ' May the 

* This designation appears to have been given to the new 
congregation while it was yet unorganized, as a matter of con- 
venience, having direct reference to its locality. Afterwards, 
when it became necessary to adopt a corporate name, it was 
deemed best to call it the Second Church. 



20 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



Lord, without whose blessing no plan, however 
well devised, can be accomplished, smile in mercy 
on those engaged in erecting this house to His 
praise. May His presence ever dwell in it, and 
the distinguished truths be there preached which 
He has honored, and which we pray He will still 
honor in the conversion of sinners and the 
edification of His dear people." 

The work of erection progressed with great 
rapidity. It would be interesting, had we time, 
to take up that original subscription list, note the 
names of those concerned, and mark the earnest- 
ness, and liberality, and perseverance with which 
the work was carried forward. We should find 
some contributing money, or their pews in the 
First Church, which were equivalent to money, 
others giving materials, and others contributing 
their mechanical skill and the labor of their 
hands. 

While the building was progressing, the persons 
interested proceeded, on the 12th of January, 
1811, to the election of seven Trustees ; who on 
the 17th of the same month filed and recorded the 
certificate of their incorporation in the County 
Clerk's Office, under the corporate name of " The 
Trustees of the Second Presbyterian Church in 
Newark ;" and on the 22 d of April following, 
these seven trustees took, and subscribed, ''the 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



21 



oath of allegiance to this State, and to support 
the Constitution of the United States, and for 
the faithful execution of their respective trusts." 
The names of these first trustees were James 
Hedden, Joseph T. Baldwin, David Doremus, 
John 1ST. Cumming, Marcus B. Douglass, James 
Conley, Theodore Frehnghuysen. Of these Mr. 
Douglass and Mr. Frelinghuysen are living, 
though not now in connection with this church. 

Although not yet organized as a church, and 
still worshipping as part of the First Congregation, 
the people felt that it was time to secure a pastor 
for the new enterprise. Accordingly a meeting 
was held on the 23d of January, 1811, at which 
the Eev. Mr. Bicharcls presided, and it was unani- 
mously resolved to make out a call to Mr. Hooper 
Cumming, then a licentiate of the Presbytery of 
J ersey, to take upon him the pastoral office among 
them. On the 24th of April, the congregation 
was taken under the care of the Presbytery of 
J ersey ; and at the same time then call for Mr. 
Cumming was laid before the Presbyteiy, and 
being found in order, was put into his hands, and 
was accepted by him. 

Meanwhile this house of worship proceeded to 
its completion ; and on the 30th day of September, 
1811, it was solemnly dedicated to the service of 
Almighty Grod. The prayer of dedication on that 



22 



HISTOEICAL DISCOUKSE. 



occasion was offered by the Eev. Asa, Hillyer* of 
Orange, and the sermon was preached by the Eev. 
Samnel Whelpleyf from Psalm Ixxxiv : 1 : "How 

* The E,ev. Asa Hillyer, D. D., was for more than thirty- 
years the honored and beloved Pastor of the church in Orange, 
now the First Church, and was widely known and influential 
in the church at large. He was born in Sheffield, Mas3., April 
6, 1763; graduated at Yale College in 1786; was installed 
Pastor of the church at Bottle Hill, now Madison, .N. J., Sept. 
29, 1789. While Pastor there he made an extensive missionary 
tour, in Northern Pennsylvania and Western New York, by 
appointment of the General Assembly. On this tour " he 
preached the first sermon ever preached in w r hat is now the. 
City of Auburn." December 16, 1801, he was installed at 
Orange ; he was a Trustee of the College of New Jersey, and a 
Director of Princeton Theological Seminary ; received the de- 
gree of D. D. from Alleghany College in 1818; resigned his 
pastoral charge in 1833 ; and resided at Orange, preaching as 
occasion occurred, and laboring to promote the cause of religion, 
until his death on the 28th of August, 1840. — Dr. Sprague's 
Annals. 

t Mr. Whelpley was also a native of Massachusetts, born in 
1766. The son of Baptist parents, he became a Baptist minis- 
ter in 1792 ; but subsequently changing his views, on the 8th 
of October, 1806, he was received into the Presbytery of New 
York. Although he frequently preached, he was not settled as 
a Pastor in any of our churches. He taught for a time the 
Academy at Morristown, and removed from that place to 
Newark in 1809, and here for several years continued to teach, 
though interrupted by feeble health. " His school was in high 
repiite, and there were few more competent or thorough teachers 
in his day." In 1814 he removed to New York, and died July 
14, 1817. .He "was highly respected as a teacher, a minister 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



23 



amiable are thy tabernacles, Lord of Hosts! 1 ' 
We can readily understand that it was a " high 
day" for the congregation when they saw their 
work thus completed, and with mingling sighs 
and songs of rejoicing, and high hopes and 
consciousness of developed strength and responsi- 
bilities, they left the home of their youth, to take 
possession of this. Some who hear me to-day 
will recall the emotions with which they then 
entered this new sanctuary of the Lord of Hosts : 
how the children looked with delight on the new 
edifice, and the hearts of parents glowed with 
gratitude and glad anticipation, as they gathered 
their families into the pews that were henceforth 
to be their religious homes, and the voice of prayer 
and praise floated upward, and the Ark of the 
Lord took possession of the prepared resting place. 
It was a day of great importance to the interests 
of the church in this city, marking a step in a 
career of progress. The building stands to-day 
as it stood then— the walls the same, the dimen- 
sions the same, the same in general style, though 
improved by successive alterations. The stones 
which the people gathered and set up as a memorial 

of the Gospel, and a Christian gentleman;" ' { a man of marked 
genius;" "a most diligent student;" "a preacher of very- 
decided talent." He was the author of several publications. — 
Dr. Sprague's Annals. 



24 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



to coming generations of the Divine goodness, 
(Josh, iv.) and of their purpose to provide for the 
children who should succeed them, are all here to 
bear witness to us of their piety, and sacred 
purpose, and diligence, and zeal. 

The church was built of stone, covered with 
stucco. Its dimensions are : length 82 feet, with 
a tower projecting five feet; width, 61 feet six 
inches ; height, to the eaves 33 feet, to the top of 
the cupola, about 90 feet. It will accommodate 
between 800 and 900 persons; 1,000 may be 
seated in it. Originally the stucco was of a bluish 
tinge, from which it received the familiar appella- 
tion, "the blue church;" a name which is still 
occasionally heard as one of the lingering memorials 
of those early days. It is said too that when Dr. 
Griffin was preaching some of his powerful utter- 
ances of the law against sin, and his tremendous 
descriptions of the doom of the sinner, some 
irreverent ones would speak of it as the " brimstone 
church," saying that " if set on fire it would surely 
burn blue." The recent alterations have greatly 
improved its appearance. I have not been able 
to ascertain exactly its original cost ; but it was 
about $16,000, including, I presume, the cost of 
the land. The land was purchased of Moses 
Ogden, by John N. Cumming and Joseph T. 
Baldwin, June 5, 1810; and deeded by them to 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



25 



the trustees, February 24, 1811, for $2,000 : the 
lot extending from "Washington street to Plane 
street. It was at first proposed to use the ground 
immediately in the rear of the church for burial 
purposes, but this was relinquished, and the 
burying ground on Plane street was purchased in 
1816 for $435. A considerable debt was incurred 
by the congregation, but how much I find no 
where definitely stated. In 1817 it amounted to 
$6,000. 

A few days subsequent to the dedication of the 
building;, on the 3rd of October, Mr. Cummins 
was ordained and installed Pastor of this church 
and congregation. The sermon on the occasion 
was preached by the Rev. Stephen Thompson of 
Connecticut Farms, * from 1 Corinth, i : 21 : " For 
after that, in the wisdom of God. the world by 
wisdom knew not Grod, it pleased Grod, by the 
foolishness of preaching, to save them that be- 
lieve/' Dr. Hilly er took part in the services; 
Dr. Richards presided, and gave the charge to the 
nevr* pastor: and the Rev. Amzi Armstrong, of 

* Mr. Thompson vras bora at Mendham, N. J. He graduated 
at Princeton in 1797, and was ordained and installed at Con- 
necticut Farms, his first and only pastoral charge, November 
16, 1S02. There he continued for about thirty years. After 
his dismissal he preached for a time in Sussex County, in this 
State ; and then removed to Illinois ; where he died a few years 
since at an advanced a?e. 



28 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



Mendham,* "gave an exhortation to the people." 
The Sentinel of Oct. 8, 1811, sajs of these servi- 
ces : "A very numerous audience were assembled ; 
the exercises were unusually interesting and 
impressive ; and the people in general, as well as 
the Presbytery, were much affected with the 
solemnity of the occasion." 

We have no record of the formal organization 
of the church. On Oct. 9, 1811, ninety-three 
persons were dismissed from the First Church, 
with a view to then being formed into a church to 
worship in the new edifice under the pastoral care 
of the Rev. Mr. Cumming ; and their names are 
recorded in our list of communicants under date 
of Oct. 22d. 

* Mr. Armstrong was a native of Orange Count} r , N. Y. He 
pursued theological studies with the Uev. William Chapman 
of Orange, N. J., and was ordained and installed pastor of the 
church in Mendham, Not. 29, 1796. After twenty years of 
highly useful and acceptable labors there, he removed to Bloom- 
field, and took charge of the Academy in that place ; which he 
conducted for several years with great ability. He died at Perth 
Amboy, March 4, 1827. He was an excellent preacher; a 
sound instructor ; and a much respected and influential member 
of church judicatories. Though not a graduate of any College, 
he received from Princeton the degree of A. M. in 1S04, and 
that of D. D. in 1821. He was the father of the late W. J. 
Armstrong, D. D., Secretary of the A. B. C. F. M. 3 and of the 
Rev. G. F. Armstrong, D. D., of Norfolk, Va. Another son, a 
lawyer, occupied positions of prominence in this State. — Dr. 
Sprague's Annals. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



27 



On the 6th of November, 1811, the members of 
the church met for the purpose of electing elders. 
It is indicative of the pleasant state of feeling 
subsisting between the two congregations, and of 
the importance attached to the occasion, that a 
sermon was then preached by the Eev. Dr. Rich- 
ards, the pastor of the First Church. His text 
was Heb. xiii : 1 : " Let brotherly love continue." 

The introduction to his discourse, as it is given 
us in Dr. Grridley's biographical sketch of him 
prefixed to his public lectures, (p. 29,) alludes to 
the peculiar circumstances under which they were 
assembled, "after having peaceably withdrawn 
from their former connection," and "from being a 
part only of a particular church, become a distinct 
church themselves," and concludes with these 
words : " Many important subjects of reflection 
will naturally present themselves to your minds 
on this occasion, but I can think of none which 
more deservedly merits your attention, than these 
words : 4 Let brotherly love continue.' Hitherto you 
have been united in counsel, and united in 
affection. Let the same spirit continue in you and 
abound, and you have the promise that the Grod 
of love and peace shall be with you." 

Nathaniel Douglass, Joseph L. Keen, and Aaron 
Ward, were elected Ruling Elders ; the first two 
being also set apart to fulfil the ofiice of Deacon. 



28 



HISTOKICAL DISCOURSE. 



All of them have now passed away from the 
scenes of earth. 

Thus was the Second Church fully organized 
and equipped, and started on its career of useful- 
ness. And it is a matter for devout thanksgiving, 
my brethren, that you find your beginning 
characterized by such a spirit of harmony, and so 
much of Christian love and self sacrifice. The 
church was begun with a desire to extend the 
blessings of the Gospel, and provide for the future 
wants of the community, and its foundations 
were laid in peace and love. 

As already stated, the first pastor of this church 
was the Eev. Hooper Cumming. He was a 
native of this city, his father being a Yv r ell known 
and influential member of this community, residing 
at the time in this part of the town, and taking an 
active part in the building of the church.* A 
graduate of Princeton College in 1805, he studied 
theology at the Theological Seminary in Andover, 
Mass., while Dr. Griffin, who had been his pastor, 
was connected with that institution. He was 
licensed to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of 
Jersey, Oct. 4, 1810, and on the 3d of October, 

* Gen. dimming had been a Trasteo in the first congregation, 
and was one of ths first Trustees, and among the must liberal 
supporters, of the new enterprise. 



HISTORICAL DISCOUESB. 



29 



1811, was ordained and installed by the same 
Presbytery in this, his first pastoral charge. He 
was in the bloom of early manhood, tall and of 
fine personal appearance, with attractive manners, 
pleasing address, and remarkable and commanding 
eloquence : and consequently he was highly pop- 
ular and much beloved. The close of his ministry, 
which was brief, but attended with marked 
results in the increase of the membership of 
the church and of the congregation, was clouded 
by circumstances of a painful nature : but his 
people clung to him affectionately, and asked 
the withdrawal of his resignation, which he 
voluntarily presented. He persisted, however, 
in asking for a dissolution of his pastoral rela- 
tion. On the 4th of December, 1814, he preached 
his farewell sermon, and on January 3, 1815, 
the Presbytery dissolved the relation between 
him and this congregation. 

To the original ninety-three members there 
were added during Mr. Cumming's ministry 
eighty-one by profession and one hundred and 
fifty-six by certificate. In the Winter of 1812-13, 
there was a most interesting religious awakening, 
which commenced simultaneously in this and the 
First Church, and in the church at Elizabethtown. 
This congregation was greatly refreshed, and- sixty- 
three persons here professed faith in Christ. After 



30 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



leaving Newark, Mr. Camming '"preached some- 
years in Schenectady, Albany, and New York. 
He died in Charleston, South Carolina, December 
24, 1825, in the thirty-eighth year of his age ; and 
is buried in the churchyard of the First Presby- 
terian Church in that city."* 

The successor of Mr. Cumming was the Rev. 
Edward Dorr Griffin, D. D. Dr. Griffin had 
already fulfilled the duties of a minister and 
pastor in this city, and many who now called him 
had been previously taught under his ministr} r . 
A native of Connecticut, and having commenced 
his ministerial life at New Hartford in that State, 
he was installed as colleague of the Rev. Dr. 
McWhorter in the pastoral charge of the First 
Church in this city, October 20, 1801, and at 
the death of Dr. McWhorter in 1807 became 
sole pastor of that church. In 1809, he left that 
position to become Professor of Pulpit Eloquence 
in Andover Theological Seminary ; and in July, 
1811, he was installed pastor of the Park street 
Church, Boston. He was in that charge when the 
call from this congregation was presented to him. 
He accepted it, and was installed June 20, 1815. f 

^Dr. Condit's Sermon, p. 15. 

t The sermon on this occasion was preached by the Rev. 
Henry Cook, of Metuchen; the charge to the minister was 
delivered by the Rev. Cyrus Gildersleeve, of Bloomfield, and 
that to the people by Rev. Gershom Williams, of Springfield. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



31 



The name of Dr. Griffin is one of the posses- 
sions of the church at large. He fills a prominent 
place in her history. He occupied several eminent 
positions. He participated in all the important 
movements of the day, by his eloquence and his 
pen contributing to the furtherance of the Foreign 
Missionary cause, and to the founding and success 
of the American Bible Society. Especially is his 
name associated with the rich revivals which God 
granted to His Church in the early part of this 
century.* His life and labors, and character, 
have been so thoroughly presented to this church 
by your former pastor, Dr. Condit, in his Histori- 
cal Discourse, and to the church at large by several 

* Dr. Griffiu'3 ministry seems to have been remarkably 
favored in this respect. "Almost immediately after he com- 
menced his labors (at New Hartford) there was an increased 
attention to religion among his people, and a revival of consid- 
erable power succeeded, which resulted in the addition of about 
fifty persons to the church." (Dr. Sprague's Memoir ) At 
Orange " his preaching was attended by manifest tokens of the 
Divine favor, and about fifty were added to the church as the 
fruit of his labors." (Ibid.) In 1807 there was " a very pow- 
erful effusion of Divine influences;" during the month of 
March, 1808, 11 ninety-seven persons joined the church in 
Newark." "The whole number added to this (the First) 
church in consequence of that revival is supposed to be between 
one hundred and fifty and two hundred persons." Dr. Stearns's 
History, pp. 271-273. Of these persons quite a number were 
among those who were organized into the Second Church in 
1811. 



32 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



excellent biographies, that I need not now dwell 
upon them at length, or attempt to present you a 
full portraiture of him. Some who hear me will 
remember his large commanding person, and his 
voice of wonderful compass and richness, speaking 
the truth with lofty majesty, touching the heart 
with the tenderest pathos. They will remember 
his terrible utterances of the Law denouncing the 
wrath of God upon the sinner, his pleading 
exhibition of Divine love, and his rapturous flights 
of imagination. To this power he gave full play, 
and depicted vividly before his hearers scenes of 
grandeur, of terror, and of glorious happiness, to 
the presentation of which his impassioned decla- 
mation and the varying tones of his powerful 
voice were well adapted. Remarkable traditions 
come to us of his power in the pulpit. He is 
regarded as one of the most eloquent of pulpit 
orators, and has been called " the prince of Amer- 
ican preachers." Though largely an emotional 
preacher, his sermons show soundness of argument, 
and a power derived from the great truths that 
pervade them. It is said, too, that he had peculiar 
facility in his religious intercourse as a pastor, 
and was accustomed to address himself with great 
force and impressiveness to individuals, not over- 
looking any member of the household to which 
he was making a pastoral visit. His earnest efforts 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



33 



in behalf of the young are remembered with great 
interest; especially his monthly catechetical in- 
structions, and the meetings which he was accus- 
tomed to hold with the baptized children and their 
parents, previous to each communion season ; in 
which he sought to impress on them respectively 
their obligations, and examined the children as 
to their knowledge of gospel truth. With regard 
to the last, I find the following record in his own 
writing on our Session Book, of date November 
27, 1815 : " Eesolved, to adopt it as a Standing 
Ride to meet the baptized children on Thursday 
afternoon before each sacrament, for the purpose 
of ascertaining their progress in religious know- 
ledge, impressing them with their peculiar obliga- 
tions, and praying with, and for them ; and to 
invite all the members of the church to be 
present." 

His ministry extended over a period of six 
years. During that time one hundred and seventy- 
seven were added to the church ; one hundred 
and twenty-four on profession. A most gracious 
season of revival occurred in 1817. It began in 
December, 1816, commencing in the First Church, 
but extending soon to this and to the neighboring 
churches. In this revival Dr. Griffin was abundant 
and most useful in labors, in the pulpit, in 
visitations from house to house, in social religious 



34 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



meetings in different parts of the congregation, 
and in the inquiry meeting. At the June 
communion in that year sixty-six persons made a 
public dedication of themselves to Almighty God, 
and subsequently several others were added as the 
result of the awakening. 

During Dr. Griffin's ministry the Sabbath 
School was commenced, and the interests of the 
church and congregation were materially advanced- 
Having been invited to the Presidency of Williams 
College, Mass., he was, at his own request, dis- 
missed by the Presbytery on the 16th of October, 
1821* 

* Dr. Griffin was bom at East Haddam, Conn., January 6, 
1770. He graduated at Yale College, with the highest honors of 
his class, in 1790 ; studied theology with Dr. Edwards, after- 
wards President of Union College ; was licensed to preach by 
the "West Association of New Haven County in Oct., 1792 ; was 
ordained and installed pastor of the Congregational Church at 
New Hartford, June 4, 1795; spent the Winter of 1800 at 
Orange, N. J., supplying the pulpit of the church there; was 
installed collegiate pastor of the First Church, Newark, October 
20, 1801 ; received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity 
from Union College in 180S ; became Professor of Pulpit Elo- 
quence in Andover Theological Seminary in 1S09 ; was installed 
pastor of the Park street Church, Boston, in 1811, and of this 
church in 1815 ; became President of Williams College in 1821; 
resigned that office in 1836, and returned to Newark, in 
enfeebled health, to spend the remainder of his days, in the 
family of his son-in-law, L. A. Smith, M. ~D. S and there died 
November 8, 1837. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



35 



On the 28th of August, 1822, the congregation 
extended a call to the Key. Philip Courtland 
Hay, then pastor of the church at Mendham, K. J. 
The call was accepted, and Mr. Hay was 
installed by the Presbytery of Jersey, on the 17th 
of December following. At the installation ser- 
vices Dr. Richards presided, and gave the charge 
to the minister, the sermon was preached by the 
Kev. Gideon 1ST. Judd, pastor of the church at 
Bloomfield, from 2 Cor. iv : 7, and the charge to 
the people was delivered by the Eev. John Gr. 
Bergen, pastor of the church at Madison.* 

The ministry of Dr. Hayf continued a little 
more than ten years, and was a period marked by 
gracious visitations from on high, and by much 
enterprise and activity in church interests. A 
revival, which is spoken of as attended "with 
more than common signs of genuineness and 

* The venerable and beloved Dr. Judd, preceded Dr. Hay to 
the grave only a few months. After leaving Bloomfield in 
1834, he was for a time engaged as an Associate Secretary of 
the American Home Missionary Society, and then settled as 
pastor of the church at Montgomery, N. Y., where he died 
March 3, I860, leaving many seals of his usefulness, and a 
memory very dear to the Church. Mr. Bergen was dismissed 
from the Madison Church in 182S, and was recently living in 
the vicinity of Springfield. Illinois. 

t He received the degree of D. D. from Geneva (now "Eo- 
bart") College in 1839. 



36 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



power," occurred in 1824 and 1825, as the fruit 
of which about eighty persons were added to the 
church: and another season of interest in 1831-32 
resulted in the accession of about thirty.* During 
his ministry among you there were added to the 
church three hundred and twenty- two persons : 
one hundred and sixty-four by profession, and one 
hundred and fifty-eight by certificate. In the 
Summer of 1824 your lecture room was erected, 
affording increased facilities for conducting the 
operations of the church, and greatly contributing 
to your spiritual prosperity. And in 1832 the 
Association for Systematic Benevolence was 
formed, which still continues in existence and 
activity, exerting a beneficial influence in pro- 
moting the systematic contributions of the congre- 
gation. A revised edition of its Principles and 
Rules has recently been published, and the Asso- 
ciation has entered with fresh vigor into its work. 

Dr. Hay resigned his charge here on account of 
ill health, and was dismissed July 11, 1833. 
Engaging for a time in teaching, he was subse- 
quently settled as a pastor at Geneva, and at 
Owego, N. Y.,f but his failing health obliged him 
to relinquish the pastoral office. For several years 

* Dr. Condit's Historical Discourse. 

t While at Owego, lie was elected Moderator of the General 
Assembly, in 1849. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



37 



past he resided at Orange in this State, conducting 
a school for classical instruction, preaching occa- 
sionally as opportunity offered ; and for the last 
year of his life he supplied the pulpit of a newly 
organized church in that vicinity. On the 27th 
of last December, while ascending the steps leading 
from his garden to his house, the stroke of Death 
fell suddenly upon him, and, almost in a moment, 
he passed away from earth to enter, as we trust, 
the blest abode of the departed saints who are 
with Jesus. The summons came to him suddenly ; 
but he had been long aware that thus it would 
probably come, and there were evidences that he 
was ripening for it. Only two weeks previous to 
that day he preached in this pulpit with unusual 
vigor and buoj^ancy. The funeral services, at the 
request of the people to whom he had been 
ministering, and under their charge, were held in 
the First Church, Orange, attended by a large 
concourse of people. The funeral discourse was 
preached by the Rev. Samuel TL Cox, D. D., his 
life-long intimate and loving friend. 

Dr. Hay was a native of Newark, born July 25, 
1793. At an early period he commenced the 
study of law in the office of the late Elias Yan 
Arsdale, Esq. Converted by the grace of Grod 
during the religious interest of 1813, he connected 
himself with the First Church of this city ; and 



38 HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 

giving himself wholly and earnestly to God, he. 
consecrated all he was and all he had to His 
service in the ministry of the Gospel. Entering 
as a student at the College at Princeton, he 
graduated there in 1818, and then pursued theo- 
logical studies here under the care of the Kev. 
Dr. Eichards, his pastor. During this period, or 
shortly after his conversion, as he stated to the 
Sabbath School Convention a few weeks before 
his death, he taught, in connection with his fellow 
student, Mr. Mills (now the Eev. Henry MillSj 
D. D., of Auburn, K Y.), the first Sabbath School 
for colored persons in this city : out of which the 
present church in Plane street has grown. He 
was licensed by the Presbytery of Jersey, October 
5, 1820, and was ordained and installed in his first 
pastoral charge at Mendham, June 3, 1821 ; from 
which, a little more than a year later, he was 
called as we have seen to this church. I am 
informed that it was his desire and purpose to be. 
engaged in the Foreign Missionary field : and that 
*' even some preparations were made to that effect 
previous to his ordination at Mendham. But 
domestic reasons prevented his going. 

In all the positions that he occupied Dr. Hay 
secured the respect and esteem of those among 
whom he lived, and to whom he ministered. He 
was a man of undoubted, experimental, scriptural 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



39 



pietj. In the early part of his christian life he 
passed through a period of darkness, and of bitter 
struggle. But he came out of it clear and strong, 
with his spirit purified, his faith elevated. As a 
pastor he was faithful and laborious, affectionate 
and judicious. His views of truth were clear and 
Sound. His preaching was marked bj earnest, 
intelligent, and intelligible exhibitions of the 
truth, and was highly scriptural I have heard 
many speak with great interest of the Bible Class 
which he conducted. He himself, alluding to it 
in a letter to Dr. Condit giving an interesting 
account of the revival of 1824-5, says that it was 
peculiarly blessed, and that more than half of the 
class became pious. His ministry was accepted 
of Grod, and blessed with, much success. Many 
were brought to Christ by his instrumentality; 
and this church was greatly prospered under his 
pastoral care. Dr. Hay was twice married: in 
1821 to Miss Mary Coe, daughter of Mr. Halsted 
Coe, then an elder in the First Church, subse- 
quently an elder in this church: in 1826 to Miss* 
Elizabeth Condit, daughter of the Hon. Silas 
Condit, of this city, who now survives him. 

Nearly a year elapsed before another pastor . 
commenced his labors among you. On the 23d 
of April. 1834, the Rev. Ebejstezer Cheever 



40 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



was installed as your pastor by the Presbytery of 
Newark.* On that occasion, Dr. Hilly er of Orange 
presided; the Kev. Absalom Peters, D. D., then 
Secretary of the American Education Society, 
preached the sermon from 2 Cor. v : 20, first 
clause: "Now then we are ambassadors for 
Christ;" the Eev. Baxter Dickinson, D. D., pastor 
of the Third Church of this city,f delivered the 
charge to the minister, and Dr. Hay, your recent 
pastor, delivered the charge to the congregation. 

Mr. Cheever was a native of Yermont. He 
graduated at Bowdoin College in 1817, and pur- 
sued his theological studies with Dr. Tappan, of 
Augusta, Maine, and with Dr. Wines of Maine 
Theological School, and was settled at Waterford, 
N. Y. At the time of his being invited to this 
charge he was acting as Financial Secretary of the 
Presbyterian Education Society. His ministry 

* The Presbytery of Jersey was divided, in 1824, into the 
two Presbyteries of Newark and Elizabethtown. The Pres- 
byteries of Pbockaway and Passaic have since been formed 
• on the territory covered by the old Presbytery. 

t When the resolution to establish a second church was 
adopted by the congregation of the First Church in 1809, they 
expressed the opinion that a third organization would soon be 
needed, and made provision for its assistance whenever it should 
be undertaken. The Third Church was organized in June, 1824, 
and received a proportion of the original fund similar to that 
granted to the Second Church. 



HISTOEICAL DISCOURSE. 41 

here lasted more than eleven years, and was 
attended with the evidences of faithfulness and 
usefulness on his part, and of the Divine approba- 
tion. During this time the chnrch was favored 
with several special visits of the Holy Spirit : one 
in 1837, when twenty-four professed faith in 
Christ ; one in 1840, with a similar result ; and a 
third in 1843. The whole number added to the 
chnrch while nnder his pastoral care, was two 
hundred and eighty-six : one hundred of these by 
profession. During his ministry (in 1838) occurred 
the division in the General Assembly of the 
Presbyterian Church. This congregation was 
happily preserved from strife and disharmony 
among its members throughout that sad contest. 
It quietly took, or rather kept, its position with 
the surrounding churches on what it believed to 
be the side of Law and Eighteousness, and there 
has quietly remained.* 

Mr. Cheever was dismissed at his own request, 
August 26, 1845 ; and in 1846 he removed to 

The Presbytery of Newark unanimously adhered to that 
branch of the Church which has been designated, though 
unjustly, as the New School ; and has ever since formed one of 
the principal Presbyteries of that body. Only one of its churches 
has transferred its relation to the other branch of the Presbyte- 
rian Church. May fraternal feelings ever prevail between the 
two divisions ! For are we not still brethren ? and may we not 
hope for a re-union ? 



42 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



Michigan, where he was settled successively in 
Ypsilanti and Tecumseh. In 1855 he returned 
to this State, and established a Seminary for young 
ladies in West Bloomfield. After a brief residence 
there, he accepted an invitation to the Second 
Presbyterian Church, Paterson, where he now 
resides. Under his pastoral labors that church 
has been highly prospered, and it continues to 
receive his faithful and earnest ministrations with 
great interest. 

The pastor next in succession was the Rev. 
Jonathan B. Condit. The meeting of the con- 
gregation at which Mr. Condit was unanimously 
elected was held October 28, 1845. He was a 
native of New Jersey, a graduate of Princeton 
College, and of the Theological Seminary at that 
place, and had been for a time a tutor in the 
College. His first settlement in the ministry was 
at Long Meadow, Mass., from which he was 
called to the Professorship of Polite Literature and 
Eloquence in Amherst College. When your call 
was presented to him, he was pastor of the Second 
Congregational Church in Portland, Maine. The 
call w.as accepted, and on the 17th of February, 
1846, he was duly installed. The Rev. William 
C. White, pastor of the First Church, Orange, 
presided as Moderator and proposed the usual 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



43 



constitutional questions, and delivered the charge 
to the people ; the Eev. Dr. Brinsmade, pastor of 
the Third Church in this city, preached the 
sermon; and the Eev. Dr. Eddy, of the First 
Church, gave the charge to the pastor.* 

The ministry of Dr. Conditf extended over a 
period of a little less than five years, and for 
many months towards its close was interrupted by 
serious illness. It was a ministry fraught with 
good to the congregation ; marked with evident 
advance in all your interests, and securing for 
your pastor a deep place in the hearts of his 
people: while his excellence as a preacher, and 
his dignified christian bearing, gained him the 
respect and the high esteem of the whole commu- 
nity. At the beginning of his pastorate, your 
house of worship was greatly improved, at an 
expenditure of about five thousand dollars, being 

* The Hev. Mr. White, on account of failing health, was 
dismissed from, his charge with many tokens of kindness from 
his people, April 18, 1855, after twenty years' service; and died 
in his home among them, February 7, 1856. Dr. Brinsmade 
left the Third Church, in 1853, for Beloit, Wisconsin, where he 
now resides. Dr. Eddy rssigned the charge of the First Church 
in 1843 ; the same year was installed pastor of the Park Church 
of this city, from which he was dismissed August 20, 1855, 
and removed to Chicago, Illinois. 



t He received the degree of D. D. from Princeton, in 1847. 



44 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



rendered in every respect more comfortable and 
attractive. 

In the Spring of 1850, the protracted ill health 
of your pastor led him to the conviction that it 
was his duty to seek a dissolution of the relation 
subsisting between you. This determination on 
his part was received with the deepest emotion 
by his people. They earnestly declined acceding 
to it ; and kindly offered to relieve him from all 
ministerial labors for a year or more, and to do 
anything in their power to facilitate his restoration 
to health. The correspondence on the part of 
both pastor and people is characterized by a high 
sense of christian duty, and a delicacy of feeling, 
and a mutual strong attachment, which invest it 
with great interest. The result was a determina- 
tion in which both parties cordially united after a 
calm survey of the whole subject, to secure the 
services of a colleague to Dr. Oondit. The Rev. 
George L. Prentiss, a native of Maine, and a 
graduate of Bowdoin College in that State, at the 
time pastor of the " Trinitarian" (Congregational) 
Church, New Bedford, Mass., was unanimously 
chosen to that office ; and having accepted the 
invitation, he was installed on the 6th of Novem- 
ber, 1850, as associate pastor. The sermon on the 
occasion was preached by the Eev. Dr. Stearns of 
the First Church ; the charge to the pastor was 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



45 



given by the Eev. Dr. Condit, and that to the 
people by the Eev. Dr. Poor of the High street 
Church of this city. The sermon and charges, 
able and interesting productions, were published 
by request of the Trustees and Session of the 
Church. 

Mr. Prentiss brought to his work talents and 
learning of a high order, and the new relation 
commenced with the most favorable auspices, 
promising large prosperity to the church, and large 
usefulness in the community. But the Providence 
of God appointed only a brief term for the existence 
of this relation. In March, 1851, Dr. Condit again 
tendered his resignation, with the fixed conviction 
that his final restoration to health, and continued 
ability to labor in the Church of Christ depended 
on his relinquishing all pastoral duties. The con- 
gregation, with great reluctance, yielded to his 
request. About the same time Mr. Prentiss was 
invited to the pastoral charge of the Mercer street 
Church. ]STew York ; and deeming it his duty to 
accept the invitation, he also, on the 5th of April, 
1851, offered his resignation, and requested the 
congregation to unite with him in asking of the 
Presbytery a dissolution of the pastoral relation. 
And at a meeting of the Presbytery of Newark 
held April 15, 1851, both pastors were dismissed ; 
and the church deprived of their valuable services 
was again without a pastor. 



46 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



Dr. Condit, after recruiting for a season, on the 
first Sabbath in June, 1851, preached a final 
farewell sermon to the people to whom he appears 
to have been strongly attached and who earnestly 
clung to him. Shortly after, he entered upon the 
duties of the Professorship of Sacred Rhetoric 
and Pastoral Theology in Lane Theological Semi- 
nary, near Cincinnati. But after a few years of 
labor there his health was again enfeebled, and he 
retired to Elizabethtown. For a time he supplied 
the pulpit of the Central Church in this city. 
Subsequently he accepted a similar Professorship 
in the Theological Seminary at Auburn, N. Y., 
which position he now fills with great ability; 
while his acceptable qualifications as a preacher 
are almost constantly employed in supplying the 
pulpits of vacant churches. Our General Assembly 
at its last meeting chose him as its Moderator. 

Dr. Prentiss- was for several years the highly 
respected and influential pastor of the Mercer 
street Church ; until he was compelled to seek the 
restoration of his failing health by entire rest. 
Bearing with him the strong attachment of his 
large congregation and circle of friends, and with 
substantial tokens of their regard, he went abroad, 
and found a home for two years among the hills 

* The Doctorate of Divinity was conferred on him by his 
Alma Mater in 1854. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



47 



of Switzerland. Eeturning last year with reno- 
vated health, he is now engaged in gathering a 
new congregation in the City of New- York, with 
promise of years of great usefulness. 

The whole number added to the church dming 
the pastorate of Dr. Condit, including the short 
period of his joint pastorate with Dr. Prentiss, is 
two hundred and eighteen: forty-eight on pro- 
fession, and one hundred and seventy on certificate. 
In the succeeding interval during which you were 
without a pastor, sixteen were received : eight on 
profession, eight on certificate. During the whole 
period there was no wide spread religious awaken- 
ing ; but there were gentle revivings by the Holy 
Spirit, gathering in little companies into the 
Redeemers fold. The Lord was as the dew unto 
Israel, and his people were glad. 

Your next choice of a pastor fell on him who 
now occupies this place. I received your invitation 
to become the pastor of this church and congrega- 
tion in July, 1851, while occupying the Professor- 
ship of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology in 
the Theological Seminary at Auburn, 1ST. Y. 
Early in August I announced to you my accept- 
ance of it. My duties at the Seminary prevented 
my leaving immediately, and you kindly waited 
for my coming until the beginning of November. 



48 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



On Sunday, the 9th of November, I preached my 
first sermon as your minister. My installation 
was postponed several weeks in order to suit the 
engagements of the friend whom we desired to 
preach on that occasion. On Tuesday evening, 
December 23, 1851, I was installed by the Presby- 
tery of Newark. The sermon was preached by 
the Rev. Dr. Hickok, then Professor of Theology 
at Auburn, now Vice-President of Union College, 
from Exodus xvii : 8-13 ; the charge to the minis- 
ter was given by the venerable Dr. Fisher,* and 

* The Rev. Samuel Fisher, D. D., died in December, 1856, 
in the eightieth year of his age. The following is part of a 
minute adopted by the Presbytery of Newark at its meeting in 
1857 : " Dr. Fisher was a sound theologian, an instructive 
preacher, a faithful pastor, a safe counsellor in the church, and 
a sincere and earnest Christian. Upon the division of the 
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, he was 
elected the first Moderator of the General Assembly of the 
constitutional branch of that body ; and in his death we feel 
that it has lost one of its firmest pillars and most reliable 
friends. 

" His ministry, which was passed in the First Church in 
Morristown, and the First Church in Paterson, in this State, 
and the Presbyterian Church in Ramapo, and the Presbyterian 
Church in Greenbush, .in the State of New York, was success- 
ful, resulting in numerous conversions, and in the enlarging 
arid strengthening of the various churches under his care. In 
all of those churches his labors were attended with repeated 
revivals of religion ; and wherever he was known he enjoyed 
the confidence and esteem of the people of God, and particularly 
of his brethren in the ministry. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



49 



the charge to the people by your former pastor, 
the Kev. Dr. Hay. Kev. John Orowell of Orange, 
presided as Moderator, and proposed the constitu- 
tional questions. 

A period of nearly ten years has elapsed since 
our relation commenced : years of pleasant inter- 
course and happy union ; years of vicissitudes, 
bringing to all of us their mingled cups of joy 
and grief ; years of new friendships and enduring 
loves; years marked with rich tokens of the 
Divine goodness ; years of prayer and labor ; years 
that have ushered many into the heavenly rest ; 
years that have sealed up the life's history, and 
solemn reckoning of many ! During this period 

" For the last five or six years of his life he was very infirm, 
and in consequence he retired from the active duties of tha 
ministry ; doing at the same time all that his strength would 
admit, to aid his brethren in congregations contiguous to his 
residence. His protracted, and in some respects, very trying, 
last illness, was borne with Christian patience and resignation ; 
and at length he passed peacefully away, in the unwavering 
hope of a blessed immortality. 

" To the members of this Presbytery he endeared himself by 
many acts of unaffected kindness ; and in bis punctuality in 
attending the meetings of the Presbytery until he was entirely 
disabled, and in the interest which he evinced in all that apper- 
tained to the welfare of the Church within our bounds, as 
well as his interest in behalf of the Presbyterian Church, and 
of the Church of Christ at large, he has set us an example 
which justly claims our imitation." 



50 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



there have been added to the number of church 
members two hundred and eighty-nine — one 
hundred and forty-two on profession, and one 
hundred and forty-seven on certificate. The 
number of members at the commencement of my 
ministry among you was three hundred and 
ninety-nine. The number now is four hundred 
and forty-eight. 

In the time that I have been with you eighty- 
two members of the church have died. I have 
attended three hundred and eight funerals. The 
number of baptisms is one hundred and ninety 
nine — infants, one hundred and fifty-eight, adults 
forty-one. The number of marriages is one 
hundred. 

During the first half of this period, although 
we were not without pleasing evidences of the 
presence of the Holy Spirit with us, and a general 
prosperity attended us, we were not favored with 
any special visits of Divine grace, and frequently 
mourned that so few were joined to the people of 
God. For nearly nine months of that time, it 
pleased God to lay your pastor aside from active 
duty among you. Your sympathy and generosity 
greatly soothed him in this time of trial. You 
kindly granted him leave of absence, continued 
his salary, and supplied the pulpit: and to this 
was added a gift in money of substantial aid in 



HISTOEICAL DISCOURSE. 



5i 



meeting the expenses of his journey. Be assured 
that this, with other acts of kindness, is most 
gratefully remembered. The pulpit meanwhile 
was supplied by the Eev. Mr. Wright, now of 
Fredonia, 1ST. Y., who has secured a large place in 
the esteem of this people, and whose ministry here 
was highly valued. In the beginning of 1857 
there were indications of the gracious working of 
the Holy Spirit among us. There was no 
remarkable awakening; but a quiet seriousness 
pervaded our meetings for worship, and led many 
to a deep interest in their salvation. As a result, 
in that year twenty-two united with us by profes- 
sion, and at the Spring communion of the next 
year ten more. But now the work became deeper 
and wider ; and the year 1858 will ever be among 
the memorable years in the history of this church ; 
while in the history of the church at large it is 
written down as the year of grace. 

The mercantile embarrassments, the heavy 
losses, the interruption of trade and industry, the 
monetary panic, and the actual and great sufferings, 
which make the year 1857 one of the dark years 
of history, seem to have had the effect of deeply 
humbling the mind of the whole nation, and 
leading them, in view of the vanity of earthly 
things, to realize the importance of seeking an 
enduring substance. They were humbled before 



52 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



God, and confessed their sins, and cried unto Him 
for mercy. And He who sends affliction in 
infinite love was pleased to hear, and ont of the 
sorrow to bring great good ; and in this evening 
time of earthly hopes, lo ! the light of life shone 
upon the people. A revival of religion more 
universal and extensive than ever before blessed 
our land was the result. It began in the Fall of 
1857, but culminated to its height and the 
ingathering of its fruits in the Spring and Summer 
of 1858. It began quietly. It moved with deep 
solemnity, though with wonderful progress. It 
reached all denominations of Christians, all classes 
of persons, and all ages. It gradually extended 
beyond our own country into other lands. The 
numbers added to the membership of the church 
are reckoned by tens, even by hundreds, of thou- 
sands. This awakening was attended by wonderful 
exhibitions of the power of prayer. God's 
promises to his praying people were gloriously 
illustrated, and more than ever practically appre- 
ciated and enjoyed as the heritage of faith. There 
were numerous beautiful examples of the oneness 
of spirit and of faith that characterizes Christ's 
disciples: members of all denominations uniting 
in meetings for prayer and exhortation, and 
rejoicing together in the goodness of the Lord. 
The power and activity of the members of the 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



53 



church were developed in an unusual degree, and 
with remarkably happy results. And the value 
and power of God's appointed instrumentalities 
for the conversion of sinners, were exhibited in 
the success which attended the faithful preaching 
of the Gospel. There was no resort to any 
machinery for the production of an unnatural 
excitement. Religious meetings of various kinds 
were multiplied, of course ; but these were con- 
ducted by the pastors, and elders, and members of 
the several churches, and there seemed to be 
scarcely any call for ministers heretofore known 
as Evangelists, or Revival-preachers. In our own 
congregation all these characteristics were found. 
We joined other churches in sustaining a daily 
union prayer meeting, which was attended with 
most blessed results. Gradually our ordinary 
meetings for worship became fuller, and increas- 
ingly solemn. Then additional meetings were 
held. With only an occasional discourse from a 
ministerial brother, we sustained these services 
ourselves. Meetings for inquirers were appointed 
at suitable intervals, and were numerously attended. 
A deep earnestness seemed to characterize them. 
While there was variety in the degrees of sorrow 
and pain in view of sinfulness expressed by the 
awakened, and while there was much pungency 
of conviction on account of sin, it is believed that 



54 HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 

this revival was not so marked by signs of mental 
anguish,' as were some revivals of past years. 
There was perhaps less feeling of the terrors of the 
Law, and more ready yielding to the attractions of 
the Cross ; less continuance under protracted and 
painful remorse of conscience, more prompt resting 
on the Saviour. At the same time there was 
abundant evidence of genuine conviction, and of 
conversion ; and it was observed by experienced 
Christians that the converts as a body gave a 
remarkably clear and intelligent reason for the 
hope that was in them. 

At the June communion of that } r ear, sixty-seven 
persons here took upon themselves publicly the 
vows of the Lord: a larger number than ever 
before stood up together for that purpose in the 
broad aisle of this church ; though once, in June, 
1817, in the great revival which occurred during 
the ministry of Dr. Griffin, sixty-six here made a 
public profession of their faith in Jesus. At 
subsequent communion seasons eighteen others 
joined who may be considered as the fruits of this 
revival. 

In the early part of my ministry here, the 
subject of City Missions was much discussed 
among us; and you have readily for successive 
years joined with the other Presbyterian churches 
of the city, in sustaining the operations of our 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



55 



City Mission Society. The propriety of extending 
your operations and taking measures ' for the 
formation of another congregation in the upper 
part of the city had before been considered by 
you ; and some steps had been taken towards it 
by the securing of some lots for building. In 1853 
you erected, at an expense of about §2,300, the 
chapel on State street, designed to be used for 
missionary purposes, and for gathering the nucleus 
of a new congregation; and for eight years you 
have sustained a Mission Sabbath School there. 
A variety of circumstances, among them the 
increased church accommodations furnished by 
other denominations, has caused an abandonment 
of the enterprise then undertaken, and the recent 
relinquishing of the Sabbath School. But the 
chapel stands as an evidence of your appreciation 
of the true principle of church extension ; and 
the time, we trust, is not far distant when another 
Mission School will claim your support; and 
when another effort may be made to lay the 
foundations of an additional Presbyterian church 
in the northern part of the city. 

In all the general benevolent operations of the 
church and of the community, this congregation 
has regularly borne part; if not always in a 
measure proportionate to its ability, yet with a. 
systematic punctuality worthy of commendation. 



56 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



The causes of Foreign and Home Missions have 
been particularly dear to you; and the Young 
People's Missionary Association, which originated 
during the ministry of Dr. Condit, has accomplished 
much good by its annual contributions, and b}' 
nourishing and diffusing a missionary sjDirit, 

Your Sabbath School, commenced during the 
pastorate of Dr. Griffin, and now approaching its fif- 
tieth 3'ear, has been a source of inestimable benefit 
to the church and the congregation. The time of 
its organization I have not been able accurately to 
determine; but it was probably in 1815. It is 
believed that the first Sabbath School in Newark 
was formed in 1813 by members of the First 
Presbyterian Church, and was for a time taught in 
the basement of the Academy on Broad street ; 
and probably some of the children of this congre- 
gation attended it, With whom our Sabbath 
School originated cannot be positively ascertained, 
though the names of many who were interested 
and active in its formation are preserved in 
memory. The first superintendent was Mr. George 
Rohde ; who held the office for ten years, and was 
succeeded about 1825 by Mr. Theodore Freling- 
huysen. Mr. Frelinghuysen retained the office 
• until 1839, his duties, during his absence in the 
Senate of the United States, being performed 
successively by the assistant superintendents. Mr. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



57 



Alexander N. Dougherty, and Mr. Isaac "Van 
Wagenen. On his removal to New York in 1839> 
Mr. Yan Wagenen was appointed superintendent, 
and he continued in the office eighteen years, 
making with the six years during which he served 
as assistant superintendent, twenty-four years of 
continued and faithful service in the School. On 
his resignation in 1855, on account of enfeebled 
health, and the distance of his residence from the 
school, Mr. William R Say re was elected his 
successor ; and he is still the efficient and beloved 
superintendent. It is thus seen that in its history 
of nearly fifty years the School has had but four 
superintendents — three of them, Messrs. Freling- 
huysen, Yan Wagenen, and Sayre, sustaining also 
the office of ruling elder in the church ; a fact of 
no little interest, and of rare occurrence. Up to 
1845 the School was taught in the galleries of the 
church ; since that time it has held its exercises 
in the lecture room ; though for want of sufficient 
accommodation there the Infant Class, commenced 
a few years ago, is still taught in the end gallery 
of the church. In 1817 the number of pupils 
was about ninety, and it steadily increased until it 
reached about three hundred. In 1838 it rose as 
high as three hundred and ninety-four. In 1852 
it was two hundred and eighty-six. For several 
years past it has averaged about two hundred and 



58 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



fifty. While the population of this part of the 
city has so largely increased, it must be borne in 
mind, that instead of the one Sabbath School that 
was sustained here in 1817, there are now, in the 
district to which that then belonged, nine or ten 
large schools. * The amount of good which has 
been accomplished by our Sabbath School no one 
is able to compute. Within the last few years quite 
a large number of its pupils have been gathered 
into the membership of the church. A band of 
well qualified officers and teachers, devoted to 
their work and persevering in their labors, sustain 
it with vigor and activity, and merit the thanks of 
the congregation. Many others from among us 
are diligently laboring in several Mission Schools. 
And it may be added that scarcely from the 
beginning has this congregation been without 
laborers in Missionary Sabbath School work. 
From an early period i 1 this Sabbath School 
Society had under its care a small school over the 
river at Lodi, which was superintended and taught 
for several years by members of this church. It 
• was discontinued in 1831, and most of the children 

* For many of the facts here stated 1 am indebted to the 
valuable report presented to our Sabbath School Society, by its 
Secretary, Mr. John Provost, at the annual meeting in 1852. 
0ther3 I have gleaned from personal reminiscences, and from 
the records. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



59 



came over to this School. "* The Colored School 
has always had several of its teachers from this 
congregation, and as already stated yon sustained 
a flourishing Mission School in the State street 
Chapel for more than eight years. Your history 
encourages, while it claims, your devotion to this 
work. 

Since I have been with you, your parsonage, 
built during the ministry of Mr. Cheever, has been 
greatly enlarged and improved, the improvement 
costing over two thousand dollars, and making it 
much more commodious ; the lecture room has 
been renovated; and last year this house of 
worship was greatly improved and adorned, at a 
cost of twenty-two hundred dollars, making it 
now very neat, and sufficiently beautiful, and one 
of the most comfortable edifices for religious uses. 
For the few weeks during which it was in the 
hands of the workmen, we worshipped in our 
lecture room on the mornings of the Sabbath, and 
in the afternoons in the North Keformed Dutch 
Church. 

The number originally uniting to form this 
church, as already stated, was ninety-three; 
all coming from the First Church. Of these but 
three still live in connection with this church : 
three mothers in Israel whom the Lord has spared 

* Mr. Provost's Report. 



60 



HISTOKICAL DISCOURSE. 



to see this day, and to encourage us still with their 
presence, and their prayers.* A few others are 
living in the membership of other churches. 
There are also still with us some who, though not 
among the number who brought their letters at 
that first date, took a deep interest and an active 
part in the formation of the congregation, and the 
building of this house of worship. To these 
original ninety- three, there have been added fifteen 
hundred and forty-five ; six hundred and sixty- 
seven on profession, eight hundred and seventy- 
eight on certificate; making the whole number 
that have been in connection with the church 
sixteen hundred and thirty- eight. 

The church has had seven pastors ; including 
Dr. Prentiss, who was here as associate pastor for 
a short time, and him who now speaks to you. 
Three of these have finished their course on earth. 
"The others are actively engaged in various fields 
of labor. It may be a matter of some little 
interest to add, three of them have been natives 
of New Jersey, three graduates of Princeton 
College, two of Yale College, and two of Bowdoin 
College ; three have been tutors in Colleges, and 

* These three are : Mrs. Lucinda Cooper, widow of Stephen 
Cooper j Mrs. Phebe Faitoute, widow of Moses Faitoute, joined 
originally as Mrs. Douglass, wife of Lucius F. Douglass ; and 
Mrs. Ann Vanderpool, widow of James Vanderpool. 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



61 



three Professors of Sacred Elietoric in Theological 
Seminaries. 

Thirty persons have sustained the office of 
Ruling Elder among you. Of these eleven died 
while in office, thirteen were dismissed to join 
other churches: six continue to discharge the 
duties of the office here. When I came to you 
your Session contained nine members. Since 
that time two additional elders have been or- 
dained, one has been dismissed, and four have 
died. These four, mentioned in the order in 
which their death occurred, were Robert Baldwin, 
David J. Hays, Morris Stiles, and David Doremus. 

I have thus presented you as briefly as I could 
the principal facts in the history of this church. 
Time has not allowed me to enlarge on various 
particulars, or to enliven the narrative, to such an 
extent as might be desirable, with incidents and 
anecdotes. It would have been pleasant to call 
up before you the forms of those who have been 
active in your history, but have now finished their 
earthly career, and to present the portraits of 
fathers and mothers whose pious labors reared and 
sustained this church, and whose blessing; you 
have inherited. It would be interesting to connect 
with these individual portraits sketches of the 
history of some who have gone out from this 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



home to the missionary field, and to other import- 
ant posts of usefulness ; and then to note the 
solemn scenes that have marked the dying hours of 
some well known saints. It would be interesting 
to enter more minutely into the history of the first 
consultations about forming a new congregation, 
the first plannings and efforts to secure the 
co-operation of suitable and sufficient persons; 
and of the financial management of the enterprise 
from the beginning onward. Doubtless we should 
read a story of prayer and solicitude, of self 
sacrifice and toil. It costs an effort always to 
break away from old associations, and go out and 
form a new home : and though there was a glow 
of zeal, and a delight and ardor of anticipation, 
and a noble looking far into the future, in those 
who laid the foundations of this church, still 
sorrow must have mingled with their gladness 
when they turned their steps away from their 
parental home. 

Then there is in every undertaking of this kind 
an inner history of struggle with difficulties. 
Behind the outward prosperity of almost all our 
churches there is a constant burden of pecuniary 
difficulties, which the world does not see, and 
which is often little understood by many even of 
the congregation itself. The trustees in every 
congregation have an important responsibility; 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



63 



and they who thus constitute the Committee of 
Ways and Means have much to do even with the 
spiritual life of the church, and deserve the 
thanks of their brethren for wise management 
I find in the records of this congregation evidence 
that such skill and effort have ever been exercised 
in defraying its necessary expenses, and evidence 
also of a determination on the part of the congre- 
gation to meet promptly its engagements, and to 
furnish the means necessary for carrying forward 
the cause of religion among you. And in looking 
over the financial history which is not disclosed 
to the world, we find that the experience of those 
who at the present day manage these matters is 
no new thing. Your predecessors have gone 
through perplexities equal or superior to your 
own. Money matters have always been difficult 
to manage ; but a willing heart and energetic 
spirit have disposed of the difficulties, and 
accomplished their purposes. And I wish, to say 
that your records show, and my experience testi- 
fies, that you have sought to treat your ministers 
with kindness, not only fulfilling your engagements 
to them, but going beyond this in tokens of 
liberality. 

There is also running through the history even 
of a christian society a vein of humor; and he 
who sets himself to search out such a history, 



64 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



turning over records and gathering from the lips 
of the living stories of the past, will fall on many 
a pleasant anecdote illustrative of individual 
character and of the times.* It is very pleasant 
to hear some of the stories of the eccentricities of 
good men, whose deep toned piety did not 
obliterate their individual peculiarities; and to 
hear them with the feeling that their names are 
none the less dear and precious on account of 
them. 

The Choir of almost every congregation has a 
history of its own ; and sometimes very discordant 
notes issue from it. But I "am glad to say with 
regard to the choir of this church, though a few 
things live in tradition that provoke a smile, its 
history is marked by uncommon harmony, f 

* I find that on one occasion a committee was appointed " to 
keep the boys in the gallery on the Sabbath from playing, or 
being noisy :" and we are told of the manner in which by a 
quiet tap with a cane these juvenile offenders were brought to 
order ; a provision, which, I am happy to say, we do not now 
find necessary. 

t The first record of the appointment of a chorister with a 
salary, that I find, is under date of November 3, 1816, and he 
is there called the c: Clerk or Leader of Singing." This was 
Mr. Amos Holbrook, father of our present chorister, who ha3 so 
faithfully and acceptably performed the duties of that office for 
the past five years. Evidently there were leaders previously : 
but no mention is made of their appointment. For a time the 
clerk stood near the pulpit, in front of the congregation, to lead 



HISTOEICAL DISCOURSE. 



65 



But I may not linger upon these things ; or 
among the lights and shadows of the social life of 
the congregation ; or on all the lessons that come 
to us from the graves of our fathers. These 
allusions will call up to you many familiar scenes. 
You will look once more on well known faces. 
You will remember oddities of character, that, 
seen through the mellowing influence of time and 
the grave, wear a softened beauty, and awaken 
only pleasant thoughts. You will hear again the 

the singing. It is related that on one occasion -when there 
were two parties claiming to lead, a chorister in the gallery, and 
a clerk below, the clerk by his superior promptness in com- 
mencing led off the congregation, and secured the victory. It 
is recorded at one meeting of the trustees, when it appears that 
there was considerable difference of views and feeling with 
regard to the singing, and especially with reference to intro- 
ducing some new method of singing, that the leader should 
"be requested to sing after the old manner, and in his own 
mode, alternately : r ' and then we find two or three weeks after 
that the office of " clerk" is "vacant," and, with considerable 
exultation, a chorister is appointed to conduct things after the 
old manner. There is a story, too, that at a time when the 
feeling on this subject was running pretty high, and a clergy- 
man from abroad was supplying the pulpit, a good deacon 
stepped up to him in the pulpit, and requested him not to give 
out any hymns, as a certain person then in the choir should not 
be allowed to lead the singing ! There are also some amusing 
things told of the effect of introducing one or two musical 
instruments into the service of the choir. We are yet one of 
the few churches that have no organ. 



66 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



voices that you were wont to hear in the prayer 
meetings, and your hearts will rise heavenward 
with the hymns and tunes that you used to sing 
when you met in little bands in your different 
homes in town and country, or in the hallowed 
conference room. There is very little that you 
will not wish to remember; and memory will 
throw such a sacred veil over the past as to hide 
what might seem less than beautiful. 

And now with a few reflections suggested by 
this historical review I must close. 

1. The obvious reflection presses itself upon us, 
how inadequate is such a mere history of facts to convey 
to us the fall meaning of the life of a church. 

I have detailed the external history of a large 
and important church in a rapidly growing city. 
The statistics, the facts, that have been presented, 
are of vast significance. Take the one fact, for 
instance, that here six hundred and sixty-seven 
persons have been, as we confidently trust, con- 
verted. Why ! we are told in holy Scripture that 
the angels in Heaven rejoice over one sinner that 
repents ! Is there not in that one fact an ample 
reward for all the sacrifice, and the cost, of 
founding and sustaining the church ? But attempt 
to follow out the lives, the influence, of these six 
hundred and sixty-seven persons, making ample 
deduction for those who have only run well for a 



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67 



season and have not maintained godly living. 
Think of them — ministers of the gospel, mission- 
aries, christian parents, senators, professors and 
teachers in colleges and schools, men in the several 
professions, bnsiness men, men of influence, 
superintendents, officers, teachers in Sabbath 
Schools — and compute the amount and variety of 
influence, influence upon families, upon commu- 
nities, upon States, upon the nation in all its- 
manifold institutions and interests, upon the 
christian and the heathen world, influence going 
down from generation to generation, which God 
has sent, and is sending, out from this church 
along these various lines. But vastly important 
as this is, it is but one fact in the history of the 
church. Every pastor can call to mind many 
precious ones whom he has seen go down to the 
grave trusting in Jesus, whose names for various 
reasons have never been written on the records of 
the church, but who are the fruit of the church's 
ministration through the grace of God, now 
gathered safely into "the Christian's home in 
glory." Some most delightful recollections now 
come clustering into my mind of dear friends of 
yours to whom it was my privilege to minister, in 
whom it was my joy to see faith springing up and 
growing bright and strong, and who, I earnestly 
believe, are now with Jesus ; though they passed 



68 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



away from earth without having been enrolled on 
the list of church members, because of some 
mistaken apprehensions and timidity which they 
could not overcome, or because declining health 
and hastening death gave them no fit opportunity 
to take upon themselves the public declaration of 
the faith they humbly but earnestly entertained. 
Then think of the strength and comfort week 
after week imparted to Christians ; of the guiding 
and guarding of the young; and of the silent, 
restraining, and elevating influence exerted on the 
community. 

It is impossible for any mind to estimate the 
full measure of good resulting from establishing 
and sustaining in a growing community a christian 
church, where the gospel is preached in its purity, 
and the pious men and women who compose it 
seek to honor God. To multitudes of souls this 
church has been an unspeakable blessing. The 
sound of its bell, the counsels and exhortations 
and instructions of its pulpit, its Sabbath Schools, 
the lives of its numerous congregations, have been 
felt in this city, and vicinity, and the streams of 
its blessed influence will go flowing down the 
course of time. These churches are 

" The honors of our native place, 
The bulwarks of our land." 

They are the candles of the Lord shining afar, and 



HISTOEICAL DISCO UKSE. 



69 



guiding the voyagers on the sea of Time. They 
are trees of life whose fruit is for the healing of 
the nations. 

2. This history aiuakens emotions of gratitude to* 
God, and desires for spiritual blessings. 

You have reason to be grateful for such an 
origin as yours. You sprang from worthy parent- 
age. A godly ancestry stretching through succes- 
sive generations transmitted to you the inheritance 
of a sound, earnest, orthodox piety. You came 
out from the mother church with her blessing ; not 
driven forth like Ishmael ; not bursting away in 
anger, and laying together the stones and timbers 
of your dwelling in contention. A generous 
rivalry may have animated the movement, but 
it was not permitted to degenerate into bitter 
jealousy or quarrelsomeness, or to prevent the 
continuance of brotherly love. 

And the church begun in harmony has continued 
to live harmoniously. Of course there have been 
at times differences of opinion; but never has 
this church or congregation been rent by faction 
or disturbed by contention. Great unanimity has 
characterized your choice of pastors, and all your 
important acts. 

And you have reason to be thankful that the 
great doctrines of grace on which this church was 
founded, have continued to be the themes of its 



70 HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 

pulpit, and the source of its life. You have had 
a succession of ministers who have sought to 
preach the truth as it is in J esus ; conforming to 
the system set forth in the Westminster Confession 
of Faith, and maintained by the Presbyterian 
body in these United States : and you have had a 
succession of Elders, and of others, who have sus- 
tained them in this, and aided in carrying forward 
the work of the pulpit. All your ministers have, 
so preached, and Grod has blessed them. Such, 
you will allow me to say, has been the endeavor 
of your present minister. I would know no other 
gospel ; and I cling with increasing confidence to 
the great truths which centre in Jesus Christ, 
made to us, through the grace of God, "wisdom 
and righteousness, and sanctification and redemp- 
tion." 

And your history is marked with revivals of 
religion; precious visitations of the Holy Spirit. 
Such a blessing was granted you in the beginning, 
and such blessings have attended you even to the 
present time. All along, at intervals, there have 
been manifestations of (rod's grace giving power 
to His word and ordinances. jSTot one of your 
pastors has been without these delightful evidences 
of Grod's presence and blessing to cheer his heart. 
But there were marked interpositions of that kind 
in 1812 and 1813, in 1817, in 1824 and 1825, and 



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71 



in 1857 and 1858. Truly you have been favored 
of God. Truly this is a field which the Lord has 
blessed. 

Such goodness of G-od towards you calls upon 
you to seek earnestly to maintain the piety, and 
the scripturalness, and the harmonious living of 
the past : to hold fast the faith committed to you ; 
and to endeavor to secure for yourselves and your 
children a recurrence of such precious seasons of 
revival. A church with such a history ought to 
live near to God, and to long and pray for the 
abiding of His Spirit. You ought to be a highly 
spiritual church, and to look with habitual desire 
and confidence for Gods blessing on the estab- 
lished means of grace. You are witnesses of the 
value of those means, as the true instruments of 
power, of perpetuated life and growth in the 
church, and of God's faithfulness to His covenant, 

3. This review of the past suggests the duty of 
extending the blessings that you enjoy. 

This church, as we have seen, is a fine illustra- 
tion of the true principle of Church Extension ; and 
of the way in which the jDarents should lay up 
for the children, and the fathers to the children 
should make known God's truth. Moved by the 
wants of the community, and looking forward to 
the demands of the future, a colony came forth 
from the parent church, and were aided in estab- 



72 



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listing themselves in their new home. And other 
colonies have gone forth from time to time to 
beautify and bless the city; and still the old 
mother church stands, beautiful and strong, able 
this day to contribute still farther of her sons and 
daughters, and of her treasures, to build up others. 
And this, my brethren, is the true principle of 
church extension. The strong and well established 
must send forth colonies, in due season, to occupy 
important positions, and thus to secure blessings 
to coming generations. Your very origm calls 
you to this. What you have received is to be 
extended and transmitted. I have fear that as a 
congregation we have failed to come up to this 
duty promptly. Fifteen or twenty years ago, or 
even at a later period, there was an opportunity 
of commencing another church at a point some 
distance north of this. Had this opportunity 
been embraced in an earnest spirit there might 
have been a self-sustaining and influential Presby- 
terian Church there ; and this church to-day had 
been none the less numerous, active, and power- 
ful. But without uselessly regretting the past, 
let a wise christian policy, a sense of obligation to 
those who have gone before us, and to those who 
are to come after us, govern us in the future. 
You have not altogether overlooked this duty. 
Members of your church and congregation have 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



73 



been found in almost every new organization, at 
least of recent years ; and you have aided in the 
construction of several houses of worship, and in 
the support of the means of grace in them. 
Continue, and increase, and bless others more and 
more. 

4. Finally, my friends, we cannot turn away 
from this history of the past without reflecting on 
the changefulness of human life, and the sure coming 
of the hour of death. 

"Our Fathers — where are they?" Only three 
of the ninety-three are with us to-day; three 
others we know to be living elsewhere ; a few are 
among us who with them took part in the burden 
and heat of the new enterprise. But the greater 
part of the congregation that were present at the 
dedication of this church, fifty years ago, now 
sleep with the dead. The ministers who conducted 
the services, the old men and matrons who here 
bowed in prayer or sang praises to Grod on that 
glad occasion, with many of the vigorous youth 
and blooming children who were present, have 
passed from the scenes of earth to the invisible 
and eternal world. Each passing year has hid 
some of them in the tomb, and those who survive 
bear the marks of age. The children now stand 
in the places of the parents, and new faces fill the 
pews. So "one generation passeth away, and 



74 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE. 



another generation eometh," and i; we all do fade 
as a leaf.'' A few years more, and we all shall 
have passed away, and others will occupy our 
place. The church will remain. This venerable 
sanctuary will receive the assembling worshippers. 
Other lips shall from this pulpit preach the gospel 
of salvation, other voices shall here sing the 
praises of God. Where, then, shall we be — you 
and I — my hearers ? 

As I look back on my ministry among you, 
and think of those whose cold remains I have 
seen laid away in the grave ; as I think of the 
eighty-two members of this church who have 
died, of the three hundred and eight funerals that 
I have attended ; I seem to hear voices from the 
tomb calling on you and me to be ready for the 
summons that will soon come to us — to be busy 
about our Masters work, and to live listening for 
that word from the skies which falls so sweetly on 
the ear of the departing saint: ' : Blessed are the 
dead which die in the Lord." I seem to hear a 
solemn warning rising on the air for those who 
have not the faith of the saints, and an earnest 
call to them to heed now the truth of the Lord, 
so tested by the experience of successive genera- 
tions, and to seek through his abounding grace a 
place and an inheritance among his children. Out 
of their happy home in Heaven your departed 



HISTOKICAL DISCOUKSE. 



75 



pastors, jour fathers and mothers, call upon you to 
cease from dangerous and ungrateful delay, and to 
fall now before the Cross of Christ, that you may 
come to their arms, and join in their grateful songs 
of praise to redeeming love. 

May we all by humble earnest living now with 
Christ be ready for all life's changes, and for its 
end. 

Perhaps some of the children and youth who 
hear me to-day may, fifty years hence, listen to 
some other preacher who shall then, in the people's 
name, set up here an Ebenezer, and tell of all the 
way in which the Lord has led them. May they 
then hear of still richer displays of Divine Grace, 
and sing with a fuller heart : " Oh that men would 
praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His 
wonderful works to the children of men ! " And 
may the preacher on that day be able to speak 
with affectionate truthfulness of us who shall 
then be in the invisible world, as of those who, 
having kept faithfully what they received, and 
faithfully transmitted it, served their generation 
with great usefulness, and died in the peaceful 
hope of a perpetual dwelling with the Lord in the 
home on High ! 




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